1. Field of the Invention
The method and apparatus of the present invention relates to the organization of databases. More specifically, the method and apparatus of the present invention relates to the generation of database files from source files of different types.
2. Related Application
This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/500,141 filed, Mar. 27, 1990, entitled "Method and Apparatus for Searching Database Component Files to Retrieve Information from Modified Files" and is herein incorporated by reference.
3. Art Background
A database is a collection of information which is organized and stored in a predetermined manner for subsequent search and retrieval. Typically, the data is organized in such a manner that the data is indexed according to certain parameters and can be retrieved according to those parameters. For example, a database may contain information to index words in the text file such that words or strings of words in the text file may be retrieved quickly. The data stored in the database structure may be organized in a single file or a multiplicity files for access and retrieval.
Typically the database file is organized according to the type of source file the database is generated from. For example, a database file for a source file which is the text of a book most likely would be different from a database derived from source code of a computer program. Similarly, the browsing mechanisms developed to search the databases would differ from source file type to source file type. Correspondingly, databases and the browsing mechanisms to search the databases vary according to the language of the source file.
In addition, with the constant appearance of new computing languages, it is extremely difficult to provide a database and browsing mechanism for each language. A solution to this problem is to provide a user-extensible database and browsing mechanism whereby a user can define the semantics of a language to the universal database and browsing mechanism. Once the semantics of the language are defined, a database can be built and searches can be performed.